Dan Froomkin

Dan never wavered in his fierce commitment to the Intercept's core mission of producing original accountability journalism.

[2] On June 8, 2022, in her assertion that many do not understand that an "existential fight for rule of law" is at stake in the hearings of the Select Committee on the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Heather Cox Richardson noted that in his publication, Presswatchers,[17] Froomkin had "explored how U.S. news organizations have failed to communicate to readers that we are on a knife edge between democracy and authoritarianism",[18] and noted his plea for journalists to "frame the events in the larger context of Republican attempts to overturn our democracy".

On August 26, 2022 Press Watch published an article in its newsletter, Presswatchers, and online, by Froomkin in the same vein, exploring how media again are failing to communicate to their readers effectively regarding dangers evident in the policies, actions, and campaigning messages of the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, that emulate and exceed those used by Trump to move the country into authoritarianism and toward fascism.

He makes many recommendations to the media and reminds them that their very existence may become the casualty of their own role in a "normalization" effect.

In that vein, on October 13, 2023 Froomkin addressed announced layoffs at the Washington Post as the result of their having adopted the "balanced" reporting model instead of its former role of telling the truth that should be resurrected regarding the increasing contemporary threats leading toward authoritarianism.

He suggested that returning to the historical role of the Post when it pursued Watergate could reverse the decline in readership and make it become a responsible leader among media now reluctant to champion such a cause.

[20] On November 7, 2023, Press Watch published an article pointing to the same failure seen in coverage by the New York Times and the Washington Post of Trump and his allies discussing authoritarian planning for a "second administration".

[21] The article provided suggested headlines and text that he believes would fulfill responsibility to report recent events covered accurately to readers better than that published.

[22] His stated objective was to enable the public to know exactly what transpired because media coverage of the day-long testimony was limited and subject to reporting perspectives.